Bodies on the Margins: Regulating Bodies, Regulatory Bodies

Woodward, K., 2009. Bodies on the Margins: Regulating Bodies, Regulatory Bodies. Leisure Studies, 28(2), pp.143-56.

Sport is all about bodies, but some bodies are seen as on the margins and policies are directed at re-situating them into the mainstream. This article explores some of the ways in which embodied selves are the target of diversity policies and practices, especially those implemented by fan-based, anti-racist organisations. I use the phenomenological concepts of lived bodies and embodied selves to explore some of the processes involved in addressing 'bodies on the margins' in sport. Sport has long been considered a site for the creation of healthy citizens, a tradition which has been rearticulated to encompass diverse groups of people who are seen as under-represented in sport. This article looks at which embodied selves are encouraged to participate by non-governmental regulatory bodies in sport, to investigate the tension between the positive and negative dimensions of diversity politics in sport, as an example of what Paul Gilroy calls 'conviviality'.

Authors : Woodward, Kath

Journal : Leisure Studies

URL : http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~content=a910688923

Project reference : Sports Across Diasporas